Lathe Properties

The properties used to modify a lathe are located to the
right of the screen when your lathe is selected. Only some of these properties
can be adjusted right before adding the lathe to your landscape, but all of the
properties can be adjusted after it has been added. Below is a description of
each available property in the order that they appear in the software.

Material

Description

Material

The Material property determines what type
of surface the lathe will use. To change the material, click the small
image that displays the current material.

Material options

The appearance of the lathe can be modified by
clicking the small button that appears to the right of the material
image.

Size

The Size property determines the scale of
the lathe material. For example, if the lathe has a brick material, then
the Size slider will adjust the size of each brick.

Angle

The Angle property determines the rotation
angle of the lathe material. To change the material angle, move the
Angle slider or type a value in the text field.

Offset X

The Offset X property determines the lathe
material’s left and right orientation. To shift the material left or
right, move the Offset X slider or enter a value in the text
field.

Offset Y

The Offset Y property determines the lathe
material’s forward and backward orientation. To shift the material forward
or backward, move the Offset Y slider or enter a value in the text
field.

Shininess

The Shininess property determines how glossy
the material will appear. To change the appearance of the material, click
the Shininess drop-down menu and select from the following options:
Default, Off, Low, Medium, or High. The shininess property only affects
the appearance of the material while in the 3D view.

Enable enhanced surface detail

The Enable enhanced surface detail property
determines whether or not the lathe will have increased detail when viewed
up close.

Options

Description

Elevation

The Elevation property determines the
distance of the lathe from the ground. To change the elevation, move the
Elevation slider or type a value in the text field.

Sides

The Sides property determines the amount of
polygons used to create the perimeter of the lathe. A higher number of
sides will achieve a smoother look. It is recommended to use as few sides
as needed when placing many lathes in your landscape design. To change the
amount of sides, move the Sides slider or type a value in the text
field.

Sweep angle

The Sweep angle property determines how far
the lathe is revolved. If the sweep angle is set to 360 degrees, then the
lathe will form a complete circle when viewed from above. To change the
amount of revolution, move the Sweep angle property or type a value in the
text field.

Axis offset

The Axis offset property determines the
distance between the lathe’s shape and the center of the lathe. To change
the offset, move the Axis offset slider or type a value in the text
field.

Closed

The Closed property determines whether the
lathe’s shape is open or closed. To change the state of the lathe’s shape,
click the Closed checkbox.

Smooth

The Smooth property determines whether the
sides of the lathe appear smooth or faceted. To change the apparent
smoothness of the lathe, click the Smooth checkbox.

Add caps

The Add caps property determines whether the
lathe is filled in at the top and bottom. To toggle the top and bottom of
a lathe, click the Add caps checkbox.

Edit Points

Click the Editpoints button to
enable or disable point editing mode, which will allow you to modify the
lathe’s shape. See Editing Points for
details.

Shape Options

Click the Shape Options button to save the
shape of the lathe, or to load an existing shape. For more details, see Saving and Loading
Shapes.

Information

Description

Triangles

The Triangles property displays the total
number of triangles used to compose the lathe. When creating many complex
lathes, it is best to keep the number of triangles as low as possible on
slower computers.